Cloth-piling machine



Apr. 24, 1923.

J. F. BRINDLEY CLOTH FILING 'MACHINE Filed Feb. 2l, 1922 2/ ,A w, V m WQ MW X @u 2 ov Patented Apr. 2d, 1923.

UNE r i g intesi-ia JOSEPH F. BRINDLEY, OF EAST DEDHAM, MASSACHSETTS., ASSIGNOR TO HODGES FINISHING COMPANY, OF EAST DEDHJE, MSSACI-USETTS, A CORPORATION .OF

MASSACHUSETTS.

Application iled February 21, 1922.

T o all whomy t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Josnrn F. BrunoLea', a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of East Dedham, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Filing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for conveying cloth from one machine such as a squeezer to another machine such as a washer, and has for its object the piling of thecloth upon an endless belt-which will operate automatically under the weight of the cloth, to feed the cloth toward the washernor other machine to which it is to be delivered.

The invention consists of an endless belt mounted on rollers between which the upper part of the belt is adapted to sag and support the cloth fed thereto at one end from a delivery hopper, this end of the belt conveyor being considerably higher than the opposite end'.

Thfe invention further consists of certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be understood readily by reference to the description of the drawings7 and to the claims to be hereinafter given. f

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, `one preferred form thereof is shown in the drawings, this form having been found to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities 'of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and thaftfthe invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of 'the 'instrumentalities as herein shown and described, except as required by the scope of the appended claims.

Of the-drawings:

The-figure represents a vertical section of a machine embodying the principles of the present invention.

In the drawings 10 is a vertical hopper having a plurality of slots therein. Art the upper-,endroit theV hopper are feed rollers 1Q and 13which are adapted tofeed cloth 14 into -said hopper; v The lower end of the hopper 10 is open asindicated'in the drawing. n

Beneath the hopper 10 is a framework 15 i haring? muntedtheren the anged rollers Serial No. 538,395.

16 and 17. The roller 16 is considerably.

higher than the roller 1T. On these rollers 16 and 17 is mounted an endless conveyor belt 18, preferably of rubber. The upper portion of the conveyor belt 18 isk adapted to sag between the rollers 16 and 17 as indi-y cated in the drawing.

Between the rollers 16 and 17 are a plurality of intermediate rollers 19, 20, and 21, these rollers 19, 2O and 21 being disposed above the lower portion of the belt 18 and free from =ontact with the upper portion of said belt as clearlyillustratedinthe drawing. f

The purpose of these lower intermediate rollers 19,Iv 20, and 21 is to keep the lower portion of the conveyor belt taut between the rollers 16 and 17 so that the upper portion-of said belt will support the cloth deivered to the upper surface of said conveyor elt.

Owing to the roller 16 being considerably l higher than the roller r17, the upper portion of the conveyor belt adjacent to the roller 16 will have considerable inclination.

yThe hopper 10 is positioned adjacent to the roller 16 so that the clothf'contained therein is delivered to the conveyor belt 18 wherer it has the greatest inclination.

Above the conveyor belt 1S and adjacent to the roller 17 is rod 22 from which the cloth 14 is adapted to pass toa cylindrical stationary member 23 suspended in a bracket @4to which is secured a slotted guide plate`25 through the slot 26 on which the cloth 111 is adapted to' pass to another machine to which it is to be delivered. f

@rdinarily the cloth deliveredto the feeding rollers 12 and 18 comes from amachine called the squeezer7 and is finally delivered, after passing through the slot 26, to a machine called the washer lt isl obvious, however, that they saine conveying mecha- .nisni may be used to convey the cloth from some other type of machine to a machine other than a washing machine.

The machine to which the cloth is finally delivered is provided with some form` of feeding mechanism which' forms no part of the present inventionand therefore is not illustrated. i

This feeding mechanism is adapted to feed at a speed substantially the same as the speed of the feed rollers 12 and 18 sothat a constant Vsupply of the 010th lewill. bein the hopper l0 at all times, it being understood that the cloth is not connected to the feeding ins'lianism of the machine to which it is to he delivered until a desired supply of lcloth has accumulated in the hopper.

The in n object oi the present invention is to provide some means whereby the bulk ot the cloth will bc retained in the hopper 'lil until it is required to be delivered to the washer or other machine to which it is to be delivered, thereby retaining the cloth in the acid for a longer time than would be the case il? it was delivered directly from one machine to the other.

The inclination ot the highest part of the upper portion et the conveyor belt is such that it will support a considerable amount ot tl.. i., the hopper l0 without actuatine the conveyor belt, but when the weight ott the cloth accumulated in the hopper exceeds a predetermined amount, this weight 'acting upon the inclined portion of the rubber conveyor belt. will cause the belt to move in the direction of the arrow a. As soon as a limited amount oi the cloth has been delivered from the hopper, the weight or' the cloth still retained in. the hopper will decrease to such an extent as to prevent further movement of the conveyor belt. The weight ot the cloth on the conveyor belt will cause the upper portion to sag' as indicated in the drawing, and the greater the weight on this sapggred portion or the conveyor belt, the more taut will be the lower portion of the conveyor belt, as it is forced into Contact with the intermediate rollers 19, 20, and 21.

The conveyor belt is so supported upon the various rollersl. 17, 19, 20, and 2l that the rupper portion between the rollers 16 and i7 will never come into contact with the intermediate rollers 19, 20, and 21 no mattei' how much weight is supported on the sagged upper portion,

in case there is at any time a jam of the cloth in the hopper the conveyor belt may be manually operated by actuating a hand wheel 28, secured to the roller 16, and it necessary, the cloth may be pushed down by a member inserted through one of the vertical slots 1l.

ln practicelthe rollers 16 to F21 inclusive are all mounted .in suitable bearings capable of adjustment, but as these bearings and adjusting members may be of any well-known construction7 it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate the same in the drawing.

This makes a very simple construction of :feeding mechanism for transferring cloth trom one machine driven at one speed to another machine driven at the same speed, and where it is desired to retain the cloth in its acid for a longer time than would be the case it it was delivered directly from one macl. to the other. i

, It is believed that the operation and many a: aixtaires of thc intention `will he readily unicrstood without further description. l

Having thus described my invention, l claim:

l. A. lona` trame work having vertical side walls and provided with parallel rollers at opposite ends, one of which is higher than the other; an endless one-piece conveyor belt on these rollers between which the upper portion is adapted to sag; intermediate rollers above tie lower portion of the belt and -free trom Contact with the upper portion ot said belt; and a hopper above said conveyor with its lower end between said side walls and near the highest roller adapted to deliver' cloth to a steeply inclined part ol" the conveyor', and thereby, by the weight of thel cloth, cause the portion of the belt beneath said hopper to move downwardly with the cloth thereon tor a considerable distance beyond said hopper and. toward Jrhe delivery end ci' the frame work.

f2. A long trame work providedl with parallel rollers at opposite ends, one of which is higher than the other; an endless one-piece conveyor belt on these rollers betweenwhich the upper portion is adapted to-sag with its lowest point near the delivery end of sait 'frame work; intermediate rollers above the lower portion of the belt and free from contact with the upper portion of said belt; a hopper above the receiving` end 'of said conveyor and near the highest roller adapted to deliver cloth to a steeply inclined part of the conveyor and thereby, by the weight of the cloth, cause the portion of the belt beneath said hopper to move downwardly with the cloth thereon, toward the delivery end oi said trame work; and an emergency hand' wheel for rotatingT one oi said rollers.

3. A trame work provided with parallel rollers at opposite ends, one of which is l'iig'her than the other; an endless conveyor belt on these rollers between which the upper portion ot the belt is adapted to sag with its lowest point relatively much nearer the lower roller than the higher roller; intermediate rollers above the lower portion of" the belt and against which said lower portion is forced into trictional contact by the weight ot the material deposited upon the upper sagging portion; and a hopper above said conveyor belt with its delivery end adjacent the higher roller and considerably removed frein the lowest point of the upper sagging portion whereby the material in said hopper will be delivered upon a steeply inclined part of the upper portion of said belt and thereby cause it, with the material thereon, to be moved toward the delivery end of said frame work until the weight of the materialbeing deposited upon the belt is reduced beyond a predetermined limit.-

e. A frame work provided with parallel rollers at opposite ends, one of which is higher than the other; an endless conveyor belt on these rollers between which the upper portion is adapted to sag; intermediate rollers above the lower portion of the belt and free from contact with the upper portion of said belt; a hopper above Said conveyor and near the highest roller adapted to deliver cloth to a steeply inclined part of the conveyor; cloth feeding rollers at the upper end oi" said hopper; a roll above the lower end of said framework to receive the treated material; and a member adjacent said roll provided with a slot through which the matcrial is adapted to be delivered.

A frame work having vertical side walls provided with alined bearings; parallel rollers mounted in said bearings; an endless belt supported bythe two end rollers, one of which is slightly higher thanl the other, with the lower portion of said belt bearing against the under side of the intermediate rollers, which intermediate rollers are separated from the sagging upper portion of said belt a hopper positioned above said frame work with its lower end extendinga short distance downwardly between said side walls, and adjacent to the highest end roller; feeding mechanism at the upper end of said hopper; a lixed guide rod mounted in the side walls between and parallel to the end rollers and adjacent to the lower end roller; a roll supported above the lower part of said belt and over which@ passes the material from the conveyor belt moving over said guide rod; and a member adjacent said roll having a. horizontal slot through which the treated material is delivered.

Signed by me at 746 Old South Bldg., Boston, Mass., this 20th day of February,

JOSEPH F. BRINDLEY. Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, NATHAN C. LOMBARD. 

